The officer involved shooting occurred early Monday morning that the Winston Square Apartment complex on San Antonio’s Southwest side. Credit: Screen Grab / Google Maps

A witness at a San Antonio apartment complex where an officer shot a suspect early Monday is disputing Police Chief William McManus’ narrative about what transpired, KSAT reports.

In contradiction to what McManus told reporters, the eyewitness — a tenant at the complex — maintains that the suspect, Rubin Garcia, 34, didn’t pull a gun but was lying on the ground with his back to the officer when he was shot, according to KSAT.

SAPD officials didn’t immediately respond to the Current‘s request for comment about whether a gun was recovered from the crime scene.

Early Monday, an officer was patrolling the area around the Winston Square Apartment complex in Southwest San Antonio when he reportedly saw Garcia “displaying a pistol in his waistband,” McManus told reporters.

The officer, who hasn’t been publicly identified, attempted to stop Garcia. A chase ensued, and the officer tried to subdue the suspect with a taser, according to McManus. However, the taser allegedly had “no effect” on Garcia, according to the chief.

During the struggle, the officer “stood back and shot” at Garcia, killing him, McManus said.

At a Monday morning press conference, McManus emphasized that his information was preliminary, adding that he hadn’t seen the officer’s body-cam footage.

However, Jesse Garcia — a tenant at the apartment complex unrelated to the suspect — disputed McManus’ version of events in comments to KSAT.

“He didn’t pull a gun at all,” Garcia told the ABC affiliate. “He was lying on the floor with his hands [behind his back].”

Garcia also told KSAT the officer, a four-year veteran of the force, pointed his gun at him and his friends when they came to check out what was going on.

The dead suspect was the father of seven children and had a prior criminal record, KSAT reports.

The officer has been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation.

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This article appears in Oct 18-30, 2023.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...